After the adventure to get to San Gil, Santander, Colombia, it was time for the adventure that was the cause of everything. The terrace of the hostel where we were staying overlooked a protest, that was going on for several days, of local farmers against “Corporacion Autonoma de Santander — CAS San Gil.” This was a state agency responsible for managing renewable resources in the Santander area. The protesters claimed that this agency had taken their land to give it to a hydrocarbon company. For several days they had set up several shelters and were protesting by singing their hearts out.
The first experience we had booked was ‘Torrentismo’ (Canyoning) at the Juan Curry Waterfall, an 80-meter descent with a rope along the waterfall. The activity involved climbing down from the highest point of the waterfall to the base and was located only 30 minutes from town. Although the instructor gave some tips and helped at the start of the climbing, along the way you were alone, and it was an indescribable emotion. The body temperature felt warm from the adrenaline, while the water of the waterfall refreshed you the whole time. The entire experience doesn’t take long and does not require any previous experience.
After the heights of the waterfalls, it was the turn of the Santander underground. We visited the Cow Cave in Curiti. It was called like this because this area used to have a lot of cows, and some of them got stuck in the cave. The cave was filled with water up to about 1.2 meters and the tour took about an hour and a half. Along the way, there was a 7-meter segment where you had to swim underwater to get to the other side, and to get back since it was the same path. The guide had a waterproof bag where we put our cell phones. The whole experience was fantastic. In different rooms of the cave we saw stalactites and stalagmites of the most diverse types. One room was called the Crystal Room, because all the stalactites were made of salt and really looked like crystals. A little further on was a large mushroom shape that was suspended. In these rooms the water level was lower and it was the moment to take pictures.
We weren’t prepared for a cave with this level of water, but this is exactly what made the experience truly unique. We returned to the hostel by public transport. We visited the city a little and spent the evening amidst the music of the protesters on the terrace.
The next day reserved the activity that would culminate in all the others: ‘Bungee Jumping‘ from a height of 70 meters. The jumping site was only a 4-minute drive from our hostel. We didn’t eat breakfast and immediately headed there. We got weighed and filled out a very long form where we declared that we did not suffer from heart disease, haven’t had any recent surgeries and many other things like that. I can say that this is the moment when all the doubts you might have about making such a jump are rushing through your mind. The jump itself was not difficult. We had researched previuosly about this agency and built trust in them. The service was very professional and safety was taken seriously. The instructor who accompanied you to the crane was very calm and clear, and he transmitted this to you as well. Before the jump, he gave us some instructions on how to stay upright during the jump. The moment he said “jump,” I just jumped without giving it a second thought. Everything happened very quickly. I reached the bottom and the rubber band brought me back up again. The moment the jumping calmed down, I pulled a rope that turned me around with my head up. Everything was over. Very excited by what we had experienced, we decided to walk back to the hostel, since it was only a 20-minute walk, among the greenery of San Gil.
We spent lunch in Barichara, a small traditional village that has preserved its colonial architecture, cobblestone streets, and surrounding nature. Unfortunately, the entire village was quiet and most businesses were closed at that hour. We visited the exhibition “Damas Doradas” by the painter Alma Luz Monsalve. “This series of paintings presented a meticulous deconstruction of Gustav Klimt’s painting ‘Lady in Gold’. Monsalve reinterprets the decorative movement of Art Nouveau to propose an aesthetic decolonization, repatriating the harmonious concept of gold to its symbolic origins. Her paintings depicted indigenous Colombian women, highlighting ancestral and spiritual wealth.” (Baricharavive, 2023)
After that we visited the Cathedral of Barichara, which was quite large considering the size of the village. In every direction you could find a panoramic point that encapsulated the natural beauty of Barichara. Such a viewpoint was our next stop before taking the bus back to San Gil. That evening we had to return to Bucharamanga to catch the plane for Bogota. The taxi was an hour late, while we had about three and a half hours of road trip. The driver was in a hurry and the road was winding, unmarked and very narrow. We tried several times to slow him down, but in vain. He wasn’t hurrying for us, but for himself. After a trip that felt twice as long as it was, he got confused on the way to the airport several times. When we finally arrived, we were grateful to get out of that car and that we still had time to catch the first flight of many that would get us home.
